Chad's army kills 161 rebels

2008-06-18 18:22

N'Djamena - Chad's army has killed 161 rebels in a battle in the eastern part of the African country, a military official said on Wednesday. Four soldiers were killed and 52 others were wounded.

Soldiers killed the rebels on Tuesday in the town of Am Zoer, northeast of the N'Djamena, army spokesperson Mahamat Hassan Abakar said in a statement.

The army captured 23 "prisoners of war" and 61 pickup trucks, he said, adding that the main rebel column in eastern Chad is now "totally destroyed".

On Tuesday, Communications Minister Mahamat Hissene claimed Sudanese troops backed by two army helicopters helped Chadian rebels in an attack on an army post in Bakout, east of N'Djamena.

Sudan has denied the allegations, which could not be independently verified.

The past week's rebel offensives have drawn strong international condemnation. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Security Council and the AU Commission condemned the attacks on Monday.

Security deteriorating

The UN refugee agency has said that the security situation in eastern Chad is deteriorating, but it is maintaining its presence in all 12 refugee camps in eastern Chad.

In February, rebels reached the edge of the presidential palace in N'Djamena after driving for days on back routes all the way from eastern Chad.

The army later repelled them from N'Djamena and back to the eastern border.

The Red Cross said that more than 160 people were killed and 1 000 wounded in that fighting in February.

Last month, Sudan broke diplomatic relations with Chad, accusing its neighbour of backing an attack near Khartoum by the Darfur-based Justice and Equality Movement rebel group. Chad, in turn, closed its border with Sudan and halted bilateral trade.

- AP